My Little Odds
by AllieJannie
Summary: Luna was ready to be part of the games. With all ends tied, she was chosen from District 5 followed by her classmate James. With the two of them joining, could she keep her promise or should she fall into her partner's pity trap without a single question?


**Chapter 1: The Reaping**

_Luna remembered her brother's distant shout. His feet glided into the wet sand, as his panicked eyes were wide open. The careers were getting near him, and Luna had already spotted one with a large and deadly looking axe. She remembered seeing her mother's stricken face beside her with a hand covering the tears that were threatening to spill._

_"No," her mother whispered. "No Apollo, fight! Please…"_

_There was no chance for her older brother, but she remembered herself rooting for him since the blood bath. She thought that he'd come home, and they'd all go to Victor's Village. Yet, life doesn't always treat her with sweets and rainbows._

_Her brother was edging down the water while one career smirked at him. With the axe on her hand, the long blade sliced through his skinny head earning a loud yelp from Luna._

_A cannon sounded a few minutes later, and reality washed over her. Her brother was dead—the one who played with her all those years was dead—her brother… Her mother switched off the screen before turning to her with her blue eyes, similar to hers, were glittered with liquid._

_The thirteen-year-old wanted to hug her mother. She wanted to sob onto her mother's sweater, wishing that it were all over. The games would stop in its own accord, but she couldn't. She just stared at her mom with her hands clenching around the cottony hem of her shirt._

_"He's dead," the monotone voice her mother voiced out caused shivers to run down the younger girl's spine. The voice was unrecognizable to her, and yet Luna wasn't surprise. It was like she knew this day was going to come—just not expecting it to happen today. "Come on little girl, let's fix lunch."_

_That was the first time of their whole lives that a family lunch could be so silent and depressing. And to that day on, Luna swore to avenge her brother's death. If she were picked, she would fight and win the Games. She would complete the promise her brother had given her when he was reaped._

_She promise._

Luna had awoken from a dreaming daze as she heard her mother's quickened footsteps down the hallway. She put hand on her cheeks just to realize that there were dry tears on it.

That was two years ago and her promise was still kept. She wasn't reaped yet, which served as a great relief to her mother, if she even bothered to show her emotions to Luna. The day her brother died was the day an emotional shut down started between the two.

The only thing that could even make her smile a small inch was her friend and half-sister, Stella.

Though the two serves as half sisters, the two looked greatly alike, as others had said. With aqua blue eyes and tawny brown hair, the two could pass of as twins if Stella wasn't nineteen already.

Luna shook her head as she struggled to straighten her curly hair. To no avail, she groaned before opening the door and walking down the steps, knowing on who was behind the door.

"Hello, Stella," her mother's dull voice sounded. "I'm guessing your hear to see your sister?"

"Yes, I actually came to ask her something."

She raised an eyebrow at Stella, as she reached them. "And what is that?" She questioned, coming out in a sort of hum.

The other teen responded with narrowed eyes and a finger for her to motion that they must speak outside. This was a private matter, and obviously their mother wasn't in it. Nodding at her mother, she followed her sister's retreating figure and out the backyard.

"How many strips?" Stella asked as she tapped the side of her jeans to where her pockets were located. Unlike being the flat jeans they supposedly were, her pockets had a small bump to it as if she had hidden something there. "How many freaking strips have you signed your name with?"

Her harsh and short words sliced through the tense air causing Luna to gulp a bit. Though she held her head high and her back straightened. She knew she was ready for the games—she had trained hard after all. And it is for her brother. "Fifteen," she replied. "What's it to you?"

Her sibling's jaw dropped in reply as she raised both of her hands up in the air, waving them menacingly at her. She wouldn't be surprise if the older teen decided to strangle her. Her chest heaved up and down as if she was trying to control the rage within herself. It seemed to be no use though since the redness reached her face, making her cheeks flush. "How could you, Luna?" She snapped. "Do you really want to be killed that easily? Are you that desperate to get your head slice or your heart stabbed?"

Luna looked at her straight in the eyes, not caring that hers were twitching slightly. "I won't die, I'll win," she said confidently, though she was sure that there was a small hint of doubt in her voice. "I'll complete my brother's promise."

Stella pulled her by the arm bringing her closer to her. "It's Apollo all over again," she whispered slightly. "When are you going to realize that maybe he would like you and I to be safe?"

"He won't. He would want me to fight for his honor."

"Where are we—in the medieval times? This is the Hunger Games, Luna. There is no fighting for honors."

The younger teen just stared at her slightly before pulling out a knife from her pockets. Bringing it out, her fingers wrap around the hilt of it, clenching it slightly. Glancing at the tree before looking at the knife, she threw it swiftly at the tree hitting the bark, just where she'd like it to be hit. "That's how swiftly Apollo was killed," she said, her voice not even above a whisper. "And that's how fast I'll kill them—all of them."

Raising a hand to dismiss the words that were supposed to come out of her sibling's mouth, she walked back to her small cottage, going to get ready for the Reaping. Though the two were half siblings, they live in different houses. She was with her other father, while her, on the other hand, live with her mother.

Walking down the hallway, she heaved a sigh. "I got a dress for you," her mother's soft voice shocked her a bit causing for Luna to only stand a few seconds before actually walking forward. The dress her mother motioned was actually a nice dress, better than all the dresses she worn during the past reaping.

She nodded her head before going to the small bathroom that they had. With a bucket she had picked in her hand, she stripped and stepped into the warm water that was ready for her.

Luna had practiced for the games. When she has the time, she would run to the small trees that surrounded their house and started to throw knives, making sure that every target was hit accurately.

She was ready for this, and if she wasn't pick this time around, she'd make sure that next year she would be. Stepping out of the tub and wrapping her petite frame with a worn towel, she slipped in the dress that her mother hung in an old wooden rack.

An appreciative smile crawled around her face when she glanced herself on the mirror. Her dress suited her frame, and the color matched her eyes perfectly. There were a few sequences in the belt area, but other than that, it was plain and simple. It was just how she liked it.

"I'm ready," she whispered to herself before she walked out of the bathroom. Outside was her mother waiting for her.

"You look beautiful," her mother gave a faint smile as she started to fix her sides, making sure that the dress hung good. "I suggest drawing your hair back into a hair band."

Luna just shrugged at her, but she knew that she should follow her. It was quite rare that her mother suggested something. She grabbed a plain white band that was on the table before pulling her hair back.

Her mother nodded her head to her. "Let's go," she announced, taking her arm to lead her to the reaping. "It's going to start."

Luna walked out, followed by most crowds of teens probably her age or younger. They were all wearing distraught faces with narrowed eyes like they were hoping that they wouldn't get pick. Letting go of her mother's arm, she went with them.

All of them were stamping on the book with their blood. When it was time for her to go, she set out her hand bravely at the peacekeeper. It was a small cut the peacekeeper made, though she wasn't quite affected by it.

Once they were all done, they went to their places with her being in the second line from the last. A woman walked out in the stadium with a wide smile on her face, like the crowd below were meant to be happy. Thinking about it, Luna covered her mouth to hide a snort. Typical people from the capitol, they were always like this.

The woman's face was covered with powder and lines on eyeliner, making her grey eyes stand out a bit. Though if you looked at her closer, she looked almost as similar as a clown. Her dress was long and puffy when it was reaching down causing the hem that reached her feet to spread out, similar to a ball gown. Though this one had rainbows of colors mixed around it.

"Welcome to the 80th Hunger Games," the woman clapped her fingers together, not even bothered that the others look like they were attending a funeral, which was quite close to what they were experiencing that day. "Now, as always, we must start with the video President Snow had prepared for all of us." Another smile was given to us before in the sides it was the video.

Luna was tempted to yawn when it was just like every other video they had watch every single time the reaping was announced. She looked to behind her to see her half sister Stella with a worried expression. When she noticed that the younger teen was looking at her, she raised an eyebrow and gave a shake of her head.

She crossed her arms back at her older sister before turning back to the video. She fiddled with the necklace she always had around her neck as she looked at the tips of her shoes. If she really was picked then what hope does she have in winning?

Her brother was good with swords and hiding, but he was still killed by his fellow allies.

"Now let's start off with the ladies," the words cut off her thoughts causing Luna to look up immediately. The woman was closing in to the bowl that was filled with strips of their names. Letting her hand circle around, she swiftly pulled one out. Luna's hand started to shake slightly as short breaths came out of her. Then she heard her name. Luna Artemis Andersons.

Luna's eyes widened as the girls turned to look at her. She was sure that nobody would volunteer for her since they were all looking at her with saddened eyes. She turned to glance at Stella whose face was pale as chalk.

"Well, come come," the woman clapped her hands once again to hurry her up. "We don't have all day."

Luna went up slowly with her blue eyes glancing back at the crowd. It was weird for her to finally go up to the area and yet it felt so real already. And now questions were running down her head like a machine gun. Could she really win it? With so many tributes and watching so many games, she knew what they were capable of. And yet here she was with her head held high and her hands to her sides acting so calm.

"Brilliant, now let's go to the men," the woman went to the side and did the same fashion as she did with the ladies' bowl. She pulled out a slip and started to read. "James Watson."

The name rang a distant name to her ears. It was the guy she went to school with, the guy that almost every school was talking about. That was probably because he was rich. And yet, no one bothered to volunteer for him. Then she watched him go up the stage with a frown on his face though his eyes flashed. He doesn't like being called but he was ready for the arena.

"And ladies and gentlemen, welcome, our tributes in District 5."

Luna and James held hands with eyes trained to each other before raising both of their hands up in the air, nodding directly to different ways (the direction to where their parents were located.)

It was the start, and she'd complete her promise finally.


End file.
